Within the first three minutes of Gomorra, a new Italian film directed by Matteo Garrone, three men are shot and killed in a tanning salon. The brutal start is only a taste of what the movie has to offer. Its rap sheet includes money laundering, illegal placement of poisonous materials and a huge body count. After the opening scene, the audience realizes the film is as unflinching as the reality of underground crime in Italy.
The movie depicts five slightly interlocking stories that occur within southern Italy, an area dominated by gang warfare. The largest of these gangs bears the same name as the film, and it is the connecting factor among the five stories. One tale involves a man named Don Ciro (Gianfelice Imparato), a money-carrier for the clan. After a civil war breaks out within Gomorra, the man will have to choose what side to take - and how to save his own life.
Another section of the film focuses on Roberto (Carmine Paternoster), a young man who has chosen to work for Franco (Toni Servillo). The only problem is that Roberto's boss is as conniving and soulless as they come. Franco runs a business that dumps toxic waste into abandoned mining sites. Then there's Tot?, a teenager with aspirations to be "tough." When he finds drugs left behind by a gang member, he returns them and is invited to join the thugs. His initiation, designed to
test his resolve, involves donning a bulletproof vest and being shot in the chest. After a gang member is shot, the gangsters demand justice - and ask Tot? to make a choice that no one, especially not a 13-year-old kid, should have to make.
The Gomorra are everywhere, as evidenced by Pasquale the the tailor (Salvatore Cantalupo). Pasquale works on haute couture dresses and sells his expertise to Chinese tailors.
One must not forget the most comical characters of the film: wanna-be-gangsters Marco (Marco Macor) and Ciro (Ciro Petrone). The duo are constantly making fools of themselves, firing guns stolen from a gang-controlled facility while naked. Although the pair acts so ridiculous that it's almost endearing, one knows from the start that their attitude and false sense of pride can't survive in the context of the film.
The film is set in Naples and takes full advantage of it; the beauty of the surrounding area is often juxtaposed with the violence taking place.
Scenes switch from startling brutality to beautiful gardens or mountains; shots switch from dark buildings or alleyways to bright, open countryside; a child being shot in the head is followed by the calm ambience of Italian countryside. Naples may be beautiful, but underneath its aesthetically pleasing surface lies a disturbing struggle for survival and respect.
On a technical level, Gomorra succeeds with flying colors. Garrone directs the film masterfully, using a handheld camera to mimic the style of a documentary - and adds a sense of realism to an already gritty and dark work.
During shootouts or killings, the camerawork is rushed, shaky, almost nervous, perfectly capturing the feeling of the moment. The sound editing is spot-on and the cinematographer balances light and dark imagery brilliantly. Even an aspect as small as the subtitles is well done: White lettering often blends into white background, preventing an American audience from reading it and creating a necessary atmosphere of imperfection. Additionally, the subtitles are far from overdone; not every word is included, forcing the audience to guess what characters are exactly saying and, thus, further interaction with the film.
What is the film trying to say? To answer this question, one must examine the culture of Italy and the United States today. After The Godfather series, Scarface and Goodfellas, many in the West would believe that the age of the gangsters has passed.
Whether this message is intentional or not, the movie serves as a reminder to the world that mob warfare not only still exists, but is also more brutal and relentless than Coppola or Scorsese (who, funnily enough, produced the American release of Gomorra) would have one believe.
Many who see this film will certainly rethink traveling to southern Italy - but before they make their decision, they will have witnessed a breathtaking, brutal thriller about a contemporary tragedy going on in the country.
